Posted By Thomas Todd On June 16, 2013 @ 3:08 pm In Giants,Lineup | No Comments

After a disappointing loss in Atlanta last night behind Sergio Romo’s ninth-inning meltdown, the Giants still have a chance to break even on their current eight-game road trip. They’ll have to do it against one of the hottest young pitchers in baseball, Braves’ right-hander Julio Teheran.

Getting of to a rough start in his first full major-league season by giving up 4+ runs in three straight outings, Teheran has done that in an outing just once in his last nine tries while posting a 2.66 ERA and holding opponents to a .651 OPS. He faces a San Francisco lineup that is still struggling to get its best players on the field.

Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro and Pablo Sandoval remain out, leaving behind a bedraggled lineup missing its punch at the top. Brandon Crawford is a nice fill-in for the 2-spot against right-handers like Teheran, but Joaquin Arias and Nick Noonan are black holes the bottom of the order. The two bench regulars have combined to hit .252 with just three extra-base hits in 147 at-bats this season.

The real surprise has been newcomers Tony Abreu and Juan Perez, who have put together 12 hits in their first 30 at-bats since being called up. Abreu would have made the Opening Day roster if not for a leg injury, and he is showing why with four doubles to his credit. They both sit today after starting yesterday’s game against lefty Mike Minor.

Here’s the lineup against RHP Julio Teheran (4-3, 3.62 ERA):

CF Blanco

SS Crawford

C Posey

RF Pence

1B Belt

LF Torres (S)

3B Arias

2B Noonan

RHP Lincecum (4-6, 4.70 ERA)

Following today’s game, the Giants open a seven-game homestand against the Padres and Marlins. They then head to Chavez Ravine for a three-game set against the Dodgers before finally getting a day off. The G-men will have played 16 straight days.